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Concierge #14

January 28, 2012 in Concierge with 0 Comments

Here are some internet articles from this past week.

Forty Days of Mourning

On this, my fortieth day of mourning my beloved, I remove the ring she put on my finger. I cried through putting her ring on, even as I cry in taking mine off.

R.C. Sproul Jr. lets us take a look into the past 40 days after the death of his wife. This is definitely worth the time to read.

Is Your Faith Towards Christ Real?

Would you like to know whether your faith is real? Then try it by the feelings toward Christ which it produces.

Wise words from a 19th century giant, J.C. Ryle. This short article gives us a great test to determine if our faith is real.

This is the next video from Jefferson Bethke after his viral video called Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus. I have to say that watching this video stirred me deeply in my soul. I hope it does the same for you.

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales – Spoken Word

January 27, 2012 in Marriage with 0 Comments

The Odor of Mendacity

January 26, 2012 in Christian Life with 0 Comments

There ain’t nothin’ more powerful than the odor of mendacity…You can smell it. It smells like death.

–Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

"The Odor of Mendacity" Burl Ives as Big Daddy

Recently I watched the old classic movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman put on memorable performances of the Tennessee Williams piece. Another character was Big Daddy played by Burl Ives. Ives has one of those voices that resonates in the mind as well as the ear.

Big Daddy was a dying, self-made man. Family members and even a church deacon poured on the flattery as they anticipated the passing along of Big Daddy’s fortunes. He was keenly aware of this when he spoke his words about mendacity.

Trust the past to the mercy of God,

the present to His love,

the future to His providence.

–Augustine

5 Old Prayers and 5 New Prayers

January 24, 2012 in Prayer with 2 Comments

Old Prayer #1: ~~Lord, please give me health.~~

New Prayer #1: Lord, honor your name in my sickness or in my health.

Old Prayer #2: ~~Lord, please give me wealth.~~

New Prayer #2: Lord, enrich your glory through my resources whether many or few.

Old Prayer #3: ~~Lord, please defeat my foes.~~

New Prayer #3: Lord, may your kingdom come and let me be on your side.

Old Prayer #4: ~~Lord, please give me ease.~~

New Prayer #4: Lord, for your sake give me hardship or ease.

Old Prayer #5: ~~Lord, please protect me.~~

New Prayer #5: Lord, be famous whether I live or die.

Unreached, Unengaged People Groups of Europe

January 23, 2012 in Missions with 3 Comments

I love missions. God is doing some amazing things around our globe. He is drawing people to himself from every nation and every tribe. I want to be a part of what He is doing.

Several factors play into my own love of missions journey. These factors work together to especially ask for God to do a mighty work amongst European people. Here are some of these factors:

1. My heritage – my branch of the Gantz family can be traced back to a city in the eastern part of Germany.

2. My history – with a military family background, I have lived in Okinawa, Italy and Germany.

9 Sacred Neighbors Who Need Our Love

January 22, 2012 in Culture with 0 Comments

Today is the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. This decision and the support that many give this decision indicates that we need a fresh understanding that each and every human being has been created in the image of God. This means that life is sacred from the womb to the tomb.

This sacred approach is a demonstration of the second part of the Great Commandment given to us by Jesus – to love our neighbor. Below is a list of some of our neighbors. I am indebted to one of the elders in our church, Brace Case. Brace preached this morning along these lines and stirred my thought process. I have created this list keeping in mind that some have justified the demeaning of these neighbors.

Book Review: Die Young by Hayley and Michael DiMarco

January 21, 2012 in Books with 3 Comments

Die Young: Burying Your Self in Christ by Hayley and Michael DiMarco is a new book out by Crossway. The theme for the book is a necessary call in our narcissistic age.

Our society is constantly pursuing all of the personal trappings of life, but seems to be missing life as it was designed for us. The DiMarcos call readers to forego a pursuit that is bound to leave one at loss. Instead they say that the gospel flips this pursuit on its head.

Instead of seeking this kind of life, we should seek to die. Die that we might live.

So death is the new life for those who have been buried in Christ, who have given up the right to themselves and thrown themselves headlong into the arms of the Father; for you who know the truth that “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).

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